Drilling barge



NOV- 24, 1959 E. c. RECH-rm ETAL 2,913,880

DRILLING BARGE 1o sheds-sheet 1 Original Filed July 19, 1950 w A amInnen/Z012? Eerhard Cem'lb MMM?? Nov. 24, 1 959 DRILLING BARGE 10ISheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July` 19, 1950 ll M III/061150115 Zerhdl'dC Jannes E'. Steele j l||q 0 m 1 e 1 M M -I, Z

Nov. 24, 1959 E. c. RECHTIN ETAL. 2,913,880

Y DRILLING BARGE Original Filed July 19,l 1950 10 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov.24, 1959 E. c. RECHTIN ETAL 2,913,880

DRILLING BARGE Original Filed July 19, 195C l0 Sheets-Sheet 4 zal .J8/'5ai waag JMW@ E Nov. 24,1959 E. c. RECHTIN ET AL 2,913,880

DRILLING BARGE Original Filed July 19, 1950 1 l0 Sheets-Sheet 5alba/niais JKL v' Eerard C. eth'l/ a i Janne@ E Steele.

Nov. 24, 1959 E, c. REHT1N\Err AL 2,913,880

l DRILLING BARGE: Y* original Filed July- 19, 195o "1 0 sheets-sheet evJ1 l /5 gl/ [Men/016' Mefhard- 0. ech'fv James ESZeel. v

j. f f QM Nov. 24, 1959 E. c. RECHTIN ET AL 2,913,880

DRILLING BARGE 10 Sheets-Sheet 7 Original Filed July 19, 1950 menareJaunes E'. Steele Alfalfa@ v Eberhardt 0. lleehilv Nov. 24, 1959Original Filed July 19, 1950 lO Sheets-Sheet 9 Pkwyff 2 i 4l 449 t I 4 iM o a "u i 56 f 40 4'0 V35 XZ t f5 I vil 4@ r? 5f Jui i v if a j i l 37? 5M 7? A J1 N I I 30 f4* e 3g y l 44' zfffwn 0.1566111121/ Nov. 24,1959 original Filed July 19, 195o E. c.REcHT1N ET AL DRILLING BARGE 10Sheets-Sheet lO [Well/0125* lrlwdt i lie/d@ Jaimes E.' Steele.

and

DRILLING BARGE Eberhardt C. Rechtin and James E. Steele, Beaumont,

Tex., assignors to Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation ofPennsylvania t Continuation o'f application SerialNo. 174,692, July `19,1950. This application August 5,- 1955, Serial No. 526,617

47 Claims. (Cl. 61-46.5)

This application is a continuation of our previous application forImprovement in Drilling Barge tiled another position for additionaldrilling operations afterA it has served its purpose. o

The drilling of oil wells in relatively shallowwaters as in the Gulf ofMexico adjacent to the states of Texas and Louisiana has resulted in theextensive use of piling to support theV `drilling platforms andsuperstructuren Hitherto piling has usually been considered a portion ofa permanent structure. t

Now however, since some of the holes drilled are probably going to beunproductive the problem of economically recovering the piling hasarisen.

The Federal Government also will not permit operators to leave pilingprotruding appreciably above the bottom of the gulf, or to abandonplatforms when not in use because of the dangers to navigation.

At present the platforms are in fairly shallow water and the piling usedhas been steel tubing of moderate diameter, of an average of 24 inches.Such pilingcan usually be pulled, jetted or worked loose by equipment ofreasonable size. In some cases, however, difficulty has been encounteredeven with this smaller piling and the practice of dynamiting the pilingfrom within has been resorted to. This practice is destructive anddangerous and otherwise unsatisfactory. Underwater cutting has beentried but can be successful only at moderate depths.

As explorations continue it will be necessary to work in greater andgreater depths, farther and fartherout to sea. This will require largerand heavier piling of greater diameter for two reasons. First of course,is the necessity of providing a stiff and rigid support for the drillingplatform to resist the side thrust of wind and wave. Secondly, theunsupported length of piling increases with the depth. Since thediameter of the-tubing will increase with the depth of water and thethickness of plate used will also increase proportionately it followsthat the weight of piling to be handled will increase about as the cubeof the depth of the water worked in.

Experience has shown that the effort required to pull a pile after ithas set may vary from two to eight times the force necessary to driveit. Obviously, therefore, the super-piling needed for the greater depthscontemplated will require lifting equipment of great size and cost.Floating lifting equipment capable of pulling even 200 tons is veryrare, yet we must consider piling capable of supporting 200 tons or moreconsequently requiring a lifting effort of 400 to 1600 tons.

,u 2,913,880 Patented Nov. 24, 1959A ice One of the objects of theinvention relates to a barge providing a combination, comprising asuperstructure having anupper and lower deck forming a drilling platformand means for supporting drilling equipment and a buoyant member of thepontoon type for temporarily supporting superstructure and particularlyuseful for transporting well drilling equipment and for firmlysupporting s aid equipment at the well drilling location. The drillingplatform and superstructure are provided with tubular guide memberswhich extend downwardly therefrom and are in telescopic relation withthe tubular guideV members mounted in and extending upwardly from thebuoyant `members adapted to receive pile members constituting the legsfor supporting the drilling platform and superstructure. i o

Another object of the invention relates to the wedging and shoringdevices for holding the buoyant member of the barge more securely inplace in the submerged position.`

` Another object of our invention relates to the` design of large pilingto overcome the objection of great handling weight and theyextrernedifficulty of withdrawing the piling after use.

Another` object of the invention relates to a practical means oftransporting the piling sections to a marine site y by 'means ofbuilt-in buoyancy and retaining the buoyancy in the piling sectionswhile withdrawing or placing the piling sections in position.

Another object of the invention relates to the improved meansfor makinga joint between the `piling sections V so that they can be quicklyconnected together or detached from each other.

A further object of our inventionA relates to friction means forsupporting the strings Vof piling sections before the lower ends of thestrings of piling reach the bed of the body ofl water and for holdingthe strings of piles while sections are being detached.

Another object of the invention relates to the means for controlling thesinkingand raising of the buoyant member and for holding the buoyantmember in the submerged position. l

Another object of the invention relates to the manner of transferringthe weight of the drilling platform and superstructure from the buoyantmember to thexed piling. i

Another object of the invention relates tothe means "foriconnecting" ordetaching the retractable sectionsrof piling from the expendablesections.

.Another object of the invention relates to the manner of coupling anduncoupling the rod running longitudinally through the piling.

Other and further objects of the` invention will be on which likecharacters of reference indicate like parts. I i A-Figure 1 is an endelevation of the offshore drilling barge shown in the towing position.

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the offshore drilling barge shown in Fig.1, but shown in the drilling position.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 3 3 of Fig.,6, showinga yoke, one of the transfer cylinders and one of gripping devices forholding or releasing one of piles, drawn on a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a detail of the gripping device.

Fig.' `5 'is a detail front elevation of one of the gripping wedges andthe guides therefor.

Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on the lineY 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a transverse .section taken on the line 7-7 of l Fig. 3. u i lFig. 8 is a Vertical section illustrating one form Vof lift- 3 ing capwe may use and showing the manner of attaching 1t tothe upper end of apile.

Flg. 9 is a transverse section through the lifting cap takenvon the line9--9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. l()Y is a transverse section taken on the lineA 1010 of Fig. 8;

Fig. Il is a vertical section of one of the wedging and shonng deviceswith parts broken away taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 12 is a bottom plan view of the wedging device shown in Fig. 1l. y

Fig. 13 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a detail front elevation of one of the shoring devices.

Fig. 1'5 isa detail front elevation of the bracket to which the top' endof the operating rod for the Wedging slide 1s attached.

FFigll is a detail section taken on the line 16'-16 of Fig. 17 is abottom plan of the base casting for one of the slides.

Fig. 18 is a side elevation of the base casting shown in Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is an end elevationl of one of the slides.

Fig. 20 is an end elevationV of the base casting shown in Figs, 17 and18.-

2l is a side elevation of the slide shown in Fig. 19.

F1g. 22 is a vertical section drawn on a larger scale illusltrating thetop and bottom ends of a pair of retractable pllmg sections and showingthe coupling for the rod which runs longitudinally through the pilingand the manner of detaching the latches from the driving ring by meansofl a pair of wrenches.

Fig. 23 is a vertical section of one ofthe hydraulic rams forcontrolling the submerging and raising the buoyant member of the barge.

Fig. 24 is a side elevation of a multiple Wrench used 1n connection withthe apparatus.

Fig. 25 is an enlarged detail view of one of the ush plugs for one ofthe forcing holes showing the manner of applying the multiple wrenchthereto. Fig. 26 is a side elevation with parts broken away showmg ayoke and one of the transfer cylinders and modified form of lifting capwe may use with the lifting bars connecting the lifting cap and yoketogether.

Fig. 27 is a vertical section taken on the line 27-27 of Fig. 26.

Fig. 28 is a vertical section taken through the top of an expendablepile section with retractable pile section mounted thereon and showingthe latchesv for connecting them together.

Fig. 29 is an enlarged view showing the latches for connecting the endsof a pair of retractable piling sections together.

Fig. 30 is a vertical section of the top portion of an expendable pilesection.

Fig. 3'1 is a vertical section showing a modified form of latches forconnecting expendable and retractable pile sections together.

Fig. 32 is a vertical section of the top portion of a retractable pilesection.

Fig. 33 is a vertical section of the bottom portion of an expendablepile section.

Fig. 34 is a detail in side elevation of one of the spring latches usedin Fig. 31, and

Fig. 35 is a transverse section through the expendable pile sectiontaken on the line 35-35 of Fig. 3l.

Referring now to the various characters of reference on the drawings,the numeral 1 indicates the superstructure of the barge having an upperdeck 2 and a lower deck 3 forming the drilling platform and for carryingthe required machinery for the purpose intended and further providedwith three` stories 4, and 6 for the crew. The upper deck 2 forming thedrilling platform is provided with a pipe rack 7 for the drill pipe orcasing and a derrick 8 for manipulating the same and the superstructureis further provided with movable cranes 9.

The superstructure 1 and upper and lower decks 2 and 3 are adapted to betemporarily supported by a buoyant member 10 of the pontoon type and areconnected together by means of telescopic tubes 11 and 12. The uppertubes 11 are rigidly secured to the upper and lower decks of thesuperstructure and extend downwardly therefrom, while the lower tubes 12have their lower end portions rigidly secured to the buoyant member 10and extend upwardly therefrom.

The buoyant member 10 is formed with an open drilling bay 13 throughwhich the drilling pipey strings are lowered by the derrick 8 during thedrilling operations and is further provided with ballast tanks 14 forwater and the like and a pump room 15 with means mounted therein forcontrolling the supply of water to and from the ballast tanks, said pumproom having an access trunk 16 thereto extending from the lower deck 3to the buoyant member 10.

In order to assist in submerging and raising the buoyant member 10 fourrams 17 are provided which are connected one to each corner of the lowerdeck 3 and the top corners of the buoyant member 10 as shown moreclearly` in- Fig. 23 each of these rams are provided with a base member18 having a drain 19 connected thereto and an outer tubular cylindermember 20 which is connected near its upper end by braces 21 to a pairof the lower tubes 12. A piston 22 is mounted for vertical movement inthe tubular cylindrical member 20 and provided with a piston rod 23which has its upper end secured to the corner of the lower deck 3 as at24 and having a pipe connection 25 which extend tothe lower deck 3 Wherethe fluid thereto is controlled by suitable valves.

In order to more fully protect the piston rod 23 it is provided with awaterproof collapsible boot 26.

As shown in Fig. l the barge is illustrated in the towing position andthe upper portion of the buoyant member 10 extends above the water line.In this position the barge is towed to the desired locality to drill anoil well, and anchored.

When the barge is in the drilling position as shown in Fig. 2 thebuoyant member 10 is submerged and the upper and lower decks 2 and 3 andthe superstructure 1 are supported on piles which are formed insections.

It will be noted by referring more particularly to Figs. 22 and 28 to 33inclusive that there are two types of piling sections showny which areintended to work together to form each pile as a whole. One we designateas an Expendable Pile, and the other is named Retract` able Pile.

The expendable pile 27 is merely a conventional piece of tubular pilingof a` diameter necessary to carry the load and is adapted to be driveninto the soil and remain there permanently to form a foundation for theretractable piling sections. This expendable pile 27 is fitted with twobulkheads 28 and 29 to enclose its interior and to render it watertightand buoyant when it is placed in the water.

The lower bulkhead 29 is preferably of thinner material, lightlysecured, and is expected to tear loose when the pile section is driveninto the soil. The upper bulkhead 28 is of stouter material and shouldresist the driving action, particularly as it will be near the surfaceof the soil. A driving ring 30 is fitted near the upper end of thepiling which also serves to catch a latch for connecting a retractablepiling section, and drain holes 31 are formed in the upper end of thepile section between the bulkhead 28 and the driving ring 30.

It should be noted that these expendable piling sections 27 can be madeAin any desired lengths, limited only by the handling equipmentavailable.

The retractable piling section 32 also consists of tubing but preferablyof thicker plating.

This piling generally is expected to be free standing in water. f andconsequentlyV is designed to have suicient stiffness to resist columnarbending and side thrust. It may be made in standard lengths of fiftyfeet each. The retractable piling section 32, near its upperend isprovided with a driving ring 33 and are each fitted with two bulkheads34 and 35 near the end. These bulkheads are permanent, and are connectedcentrally by means of a pipe 36 which extends to the lower bulkhead 35and is welded thereto while the upper end portionl of the pipe 36 iswelded to the upper bulkhead 34, and extends beyond the same a shortdistance and is provided with a stop 37.

The lower end of each retractable piling section 32 is provided with asleeve 38 which extends downwardly therefrom and the lower end of sleeveis reinforced with a ring 39 intended to engage the driving ring tted inthe upper end of the next section below.

A pair of long flat bar springs 40 having their upper ends secured tothe inside of the sleeve 38 and projecting downwardly therefrom withtheir lower ends'projecting a short distance below the end of the sleeveis provided with latches 41 which are arranged to slide over the drivingring 33 lon the adjacent pile section and latch thereon therebypreventing withdrawal. i

In Fig. 28 is shown a latch connection between the expendable andretractable piling sections 27 and 32 respectively and another latchbetween two retractable pile sections 32. The latch connection betweenthe expend able and retractable pile sections is provided with togglelinks 42 which have their outer ends pivoted as at 43 to ears 44extending inwardly from the lower ends of the dat bar springs 40, whilethe inner ends of the toggle links are pivoted as at 45 to a tension bar46. The upper end of the tension bar is provided with a threaded socket47 to receive a threaded pin 48 having a flanged head portion 49 andalso has a threaded recess 50 for receiving the lower threaded end of arod 51, said rod being made in sections. The rods 51 for operating thetoggle linkage in the pile sections are coupled together as follows: Thesleeve 38 of the retractable section of piling 32 immediately above theexpendable section is entered into the upper end of the expendablesection. The at bar springs 40 are forced inward as the wedge shaped endof the latches 41 engage the driving ring 30 and then spring outward asthe latches pass beyond the driving ring thus locking the two sectionstogether. As the flat bar springs 40 are forced inward they will actuatethe toggle system thus raising the operating rod 51 and finallyVallowing it to drop back into position. The sleeve 38 of the secondsection of the retractable pile 32 is then entered into the top end ofthe first causing its latches to operate as above described. In thiscase, however, the at bar springs 40 are not connected with theoperating rod 51 and therefore do not move it. It will be noted that theoperating rod in the first section has a threaded funnel 52 at its upperend. The operating rodl 51 in the second section has a threaded pin 48on its lower end. After the second pile section has been lconnected tothe first the ianged head 49 of this pin 48 will rest at the top of thethreads in the funnel. To complete the connection the turning leverand'locking bar 53 at the top of the second section is lifted to ahorizontal position and rotated thereby turning the rod in the secondsection and engaging the threads at its lower end. This completes thejoint and the third section of piling may now belentered into thesecond, locked to it with the flat barsprings and its rod screwed intothat below. This operation can be repeated to produce a string of pilingof the desired length. On removing the retractable piling sections theoperating rod 51 is pulled upwardly at the top of the string of pilingsection, thereby unlatching the joint between the expendable andretractable piling sections as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 28. Theretractable piling sections are provided adjacent to each latch withlthreaded forcing holes54 which are normally closed -by 'means of flushplugs 55. The string of retractable piling mayv then be raisedvertically by means of a crane or derrick and the sections separatedfrom each other by unscrewing the couplings one at a time, removingflush plugs 55 and depressing the springs by means of a multiple wrench56 as indicated in Fig. 22. The toggle arrangement is not used forunlatching any joint except that between the expendable and retractablepiling sections. The stop 37 on pipe 36 shown on the drawings isnecessary to insure that the proper joint is unscrewed at the propertime as the piling section is being separated. It will be noted that allof the retractable pile sections are identical in the lower ends ofspring latch bars 60 each having a `slot` 61 formed therein for engaginginclined latch projections 62. The inner ends of the toggle linkage 5.7is pivoted as at 63 to the lower end of a tension bar 64, having a'threaded socket 65 for a threaded pin 66 having a ilanged head 67 andhaving a threaded recess therein for receiving the threaded end of anoperating rod 68. In order to limit the inward movement of the springlatch bars 60 stops 69 are used. We may use riveting instead of weldingfor connecting the sleeve 70 to the lower end of the retractable pilesection 32 and the reinforcing ring 71 therefor. The driving ring 72 inthe upper end of expendable pile section 27 is also riveted in place.

Assuming a location has been selected for attempting to drill an oilwell the drilling barge (using this term to designate the wholeapparatus), is stocked with working materials such as mud, pipe, water,fuel and provisions and a crew aboard is towed to the site selected. Thebarge is then anchored. It is usual to drive a test pipe of smalldiameter to develop data on the penetration necessary to support thedesired loads. From these data it will be possible to select a length ofexpendable piling which when driven into the soil to 'approximately itsfull length will provide the needed bearing. Such piling in desiredlengths are fabricated ashore and oated to the location. Retractablepiling sections in sufficient nurnber of units to reach the bottom arealso fabricated ashore and oated to the site. In oating the expendablepiling sections 27 the drain holes 31 may be used for attaching hooks orcables to the section. A similar hole 73 is formed in the retractablepiling sections for this purpose.

The first operation to be performed after driving the test pile is todrive the piling. It is desirable to sink several or all of the pilingsimultaneously to obtain better alignment and to prevent undue strainlon a single pile caused by the lateral movement of the barge. This isdone by building up several strings of piling until the lower end ofeach string of piling is about ive or ten feet above the bottom and thenreleasing them simultaneously,` the piles being intially driven into thesoil by their own weight.

In handling the sections of piling shown in building up the strings ofpiling the pile section itself will be handled by a crane using hooks orthe like for engaging the holes 31 in the expendable pile section andthe holes 73 in the retractable pile sections.

In building up these strings of piling as each section of pile is set,it has to be held in place until another section is attached. The pilingsections are lowered by means of a crane and a friction grip is closedon the pile section to take the weight of the pile string while thecrane sets another section. Referring now to Figs. 3 to 7 whichillustrates one form of gripping and releasing device we may use.Attached to thetop of the upper deck 2 adjacent.l to the upper end ofthe upper telescopic tube 11 isv a casti- 7 steel wedging ring 74 havinga plurality of lugs 75 extending outwardly therefrom and attached to theupper deck 2 by means of bolts 76. The wedging ring 74 has an inclinedinner face 77 for engaging the outer faces 78 of a plurality of wedgeblocks 79, each having their inner edges adapted to engage the pile. Thewedge blocks 79 are held in position by means of guides 80 which extenddownwardly from a yoke 81. To allow a slight rocking movement of thewedge blocks '79 they are each provided with a pin 82 which extends intoslots 83 in the guides 80. Attached to the opposite sides of the upperend of the telescopic tube 11 are a pair of transfer cylinders 84,having fluid pressure connections S and 86. Each transfer cylinder 84has a piston 87 working therein having piston rods 88 having their upperends secured to brackets 89 extending from the yoke S1' by means of nuts90. The yoke 81 is further provided with flanges 91 to which liftingbars 92 are pivoted by means of pins 93.

In Figs. 26 and 27 we have shown another form of gripping and releasingdevice in which a pair of transfer cylinders 94 are attached to theupper portion of the upper telescopic tube 11. These transfer cylinders94 each have a piston 95 working therein with its piston rod 96extending upwardly and pivoted as at 97 to brackets 98 on a yoke 99. Thetransfer cylinders 94 have liuid pressure connection 100 and 101 whichare controlled by means of a four way valve 102.

Leaf springs 103 are attached to the upper end of the telescopic tube 11and extend downwardly therefrom and are provided at their lower endswith blocks 104 which extend through openings 105 in the telescopic tube11 and have friction surfaces 106 on their inner faces. The outersurfaces of these blocks are inclined as at 107 to engage the inclinedinner surfaces 108 of the yoke 99. When fluid pressure is admitted tothe top of the transfer cylinders 94 the yoke will be lowered and theinclined surfaces 107 and 108 will engage each other thereby forcing thefriction surfaces 106 in gripping engagement with the pile section.

In building up the strings of piling sections the expendable pilingsection 27 is first placed in the telescopic tubing 11 and 12; this isdone by a crane having hooks for engaging the drain holes 31. The jawsof the gripping blocks being open, the crane raises the pile sectioninto a vertical position and inserts the lower end into the upper end ofthe upper tube 11 and then lowers it until the upper end of theexpendable pile section is a short distance above the yoke. The yoke isthen lowered by means of the transfer cylinders for the friction blocksto engage the expendable pile. The hooks of the crane are then detachedfrom the holes 31 in the expendable pile section and inserted in theholes 73 in the retractable pile section 32 which is raised into avertical position by means of the crane and the sleeve 38` at its lowerend inserted in the top of expendable pile section 27 with the latches41 engaging the driving ring 30 thereby connecting the two sectionstogether as shown in Fig. 28. The friction blocks then being releasedfrom the expendable pile section and the two sections lowered by meansof the crane until the upper end of the retractable pile section is ashort distance above the yoke. The yoke is then lowered again by meansof the transfer cylinders for the friction blocks to engage theretractable pile section. The hooks of the crane are then detached fromthe retractable pile section just set and inserted in the holes 73 ofanother retractable pile section which is then raised into a verticalposition and its sleeve 38 inserted in the top end of the retractablepiling just set until the latches engage the driving ring 33 therebycoupling the two retractable piling sections together. The frictionblocks are then released from the. first. retractable piling section andthe three piling sections lowered by means ofthe crane until the upperendof this last section of the retractable pile is a short distance4above theyoke. Thisoperation for-placing the retractable sections inposition is then repeated until the: lower end ofi the string of pilesection is just above tle ocean bed'.

It will be understood that as each piling section is placed in positionthe operating rod 51 has to be coupled together. This is done byswinging the turning lever 53 into a horizontal position and rotatingthe funnel until the parts are threaded together. The turning lever 53is then swung downwardly in a vertical position where it will engage thestop 37 to limit the rotating movement of the funnel 52. After all ofthe strings of pilingl sections have been built up in the manner abovedescribed, another section is set up on the top so that the stringextends well above the upper deck, the strings of. piling are thenreleased from the friction blocks simultaneously and the piles aredropped and initially driven into the ocean bed by their own weight. Thepiles arev then power driven to the desired depth.

As the piling is driven into the oceain bed it is expected that thelower bulkhead 29 of the expendable' pile 27 will fail, allowing sandand mud to fill the pile up to the upper bulkhead 28. Water will also owinto the space above this bulkhead through the drain holes 31l locatedjust below the driving ring 30.

During all this operation the whole weight has been supported by thebuoyant member 10 of the barge. andv ample stability has been providedat all times. The whole structure however, being buoyant, will havevertical motion along the piles as a result of wave action. When all thepiles are driven the weight of the upper and lower decks 2 and 3 and thesuperstructure 1 is transferred to the piling by fastening them to thepiles.

This is accomplished in the following manner referring lirst moreparticularly to Figs. 26 and 27. The upper end of each telescopic tube11 extends above the upper deck 2 and is open at the top into which thepiling sections are inserted. When the piles are driven they upperretractable piling section has its top end portion which is openextending above the top of the telescopic tube 11. A lifting cap 109having a tubular portion 110 which is reinforced at its lower end bymeans of a ring 111 is seated in the upper end of the retractable pilingsection 32 to engage the driving ring 33. The lifting cap 109 isprovided with latches 112 adapted to engage the driving ring 33 and flatbar springs 113 for normally holding the latches in the latchedposition. For releasingl the latches they are provided with a togglelinkage 114 which is pivoted to the lower ends of the flat bar springs113 as at 115 and pivoted centrally as at 116 to the lower end of apiston rod 117. having a piston 118 on its upper end working in an aircylinder 119 which mayv be controlled by a suitable valve located on theupper deck 2 for releasing the latches. The lifting cap 109 at' itsupper end is provided with two cross beams 120 having top and bottomcover plates 121 and 122, centrally disposed connecting plates 123 andlifting eye bolt 124. The two cross beams 120 have their ends extendinglaterally beyond the sides of the piling and are provided with holes 125to register with spaced holes 126 in the Teshaped lifting bars 92 forreceiving pins 127 for connecting them together. The yoke 99 is mountedfor sliding movement on the upper end of the telescopic tube 11. Thisyoke 99 is provided with ears 128 having holes 129 adapted to registerwith holes 126 in the T-shaped lifting bars 92 to receive pins 130 forconnecting these members together. The yoke is also provided with spacedbrackets 98 to which the upper ends of the piston rods 96 are pivoted asat 97. Th-e lower ends of said pistons are provided with pistons 95working the transfer cylinders 94 which are rigidly secured to the uppertelescopic tube 11 and the superstructure. These transfer cylinders 94are controlled by a four-way valve 102 preferably mounted on the lowerdeck 3.

The nal object is to support. the upper and lower decks. 2 and 3 andthesuperstructure 1 on the piling through the lifting cap 109, 'r-shapedlifting bars 92, yoke 99 and the transfer cylinders 94 which are anntegral part of the superstructure.

In this transfer method the movement is taken between the pistons 95 andthe transfer cylinders 94. T-shaped lifting bars 92, yokes 99 and pistonrods 96 are connected to the lifting caps 109 which are set in the topof the piles. The top and bottom of the transfer cylinders 94 areconnected to each other to allow fluid to pass from one to the other asthe structure moves the cylinders 94, the pistons being held stationaryby the connections to the piles. When all are set, the valve connectionsbetween the ends of the cylinders are closed thereby trapping the iiuidin the cylinders and stopping the motion. This can be made a gradualoperation, if there is excessive movement of ythe structure by closingthe valves slowly.` This stops the motion and leaves the cylinders-ready to take the weight of the structure. The cylinders may beconnected to a high pressure manifold having valves for individualadjustment.

Up to this point the buoyant member of the barge is still supporting themajor part of the load. The only load on the piles is that exerted bythe structure to compensate for a change in the buoyancy of the buoyantmember as the swells rise and fall. Due to the incompressibility of thehydraulic fluid, the structure is held in one position while thepressure varies with the change in buoyancy. As the ballast tanks 14 inthe buoyant member are being lled, the pressure will increase until alltheload is taken by the piling. The structure will then remainstationary. Additional lling of the ballast tanks beyond this pointtends to submerge the buoyant member.

An additional means is necessary to prevent a swell from lifting thebuoyant member high enough to hit the superstructure. To overcome thechange in buoyancy after the ballast tanks 14 have been filled enough toleave the structure, we use for this purpose hydraulic rams 17 as shownmore clearly in Fig. 23. By the use of these rams in sinking it,positive buoyancy can always be maintained in the buoyant member of thebarge. It will be raised when the ballast tanks 14 are emptied byallowing the force of buoyancy to force the fluid out of the ramsthrough a suitable throttling valve which affords control.

These rams 17 when under pressure are designed to exert a total downwardforce on the barge of about 600 tons which is sufficient to sink thebarge about two feet deeper than it would normally oat due to ballastingalone. After the buoyant member has been submerged it is desirable touse wedging and shoring devices for hold-4 ing the buoyant member moresecurely in place.

Referring now to Figs. 11 to 21 inclusive which illustrates means foraccomplishing this purpose. Each of the lower telescopic tubes 12 isrigidly secured to the buoyant member 10 and extends downwardly to apoint near the bottom of the buoyant member where it is'provided with arecess 131 through which the piles extend. This recess 131 is open atthe bottom having side walls 132 and top walls 133. The top wall 133 hasa plurality of tubular trunks 134 connected thereto which extend to thedeck of the buoyant member and are welded thereto as at 135. The tubulartrunks 134 are formedwith offset plate portions 136 to form a passagewayfor the upper portion of the sliding clamps 137. The sliding clamps eachhave a contact engaging face 138, a vertical ange 139 and a horizontalflange 149 which is slotted as at 141. The horizontal flange 140 ismounted in a slideway 142 of a base casting 143 which is secured to thetop wall 133 and is slotted as at 144 and provided with an ear 145. Atoggle linkage 146 has one end pivoted to the sliding clamps 137 as at147, and the other end pivoted to theear 145 of the base casting 143 asat 148. The central portion of the toggle linkage is pivoted as at 149to an operating rod 150 which extends upwardly through slots 141, 144,tubular trunks134 supporting `10 bearing 151 to a bracket 152 which issecured to the upper end of the lower telescopic tube 12. The bracket152 is provided with a guideway 153 for receiving a washer 154 on thethreaded upper end 155 of the operating rod for receiving a nut 156.

The top end of the lower telescopic tube 12 is also provided with aplurality of shoring devices as indicated in Figs. 13 and 14. Theseshoring devices consist of small plate struts 157 hinged as at 158 tothe top of the lower tube 11 so that they fold down out of the Way whenthe tubes are telescoped. After the barge has been sunk these plates areraised up as shown on the drawings so that they will bear on the pads159 secured to the upper tubes 11 in the proper position. A retainingpin 160 is then slipped in place to keep the plate from being blown orwashed out of position.

The operation of this device is as follows:

Prior to driving the piling each operating rod 150 ispushed down to itslowest position by means of the nuts 156 at the upper thread end of therod 155. This actuates each toggle linkage 156 in the recess 131 at thebottom of the buoyant member 10 which retracts the sliding clamps 137 asindicated in Figs. 11 and 12. The piling is now inserted in the tubes 11and 12 and driven. The end of the pile is prevented from catching on thesliding clamps by a permanent guiding wedge 161 attached to the insideof the lower tube 12 above the sliding clamps 137. After the piling vhasbeen driven and the weight of the upper and lower decks 2 and 3 and thesuperstructure 1 is transferred to the piling the ballast tanks 14 arelled and the buoyant member 10 sunk out of the way of the wave action.The four operating rods 150 are then pulled upward by means of the nuts156 on the upper end 155l of each rod. This tends to straighten out eachlinkage 146 forcing each sliding clamp 137 into contact with the piling.All the operating rods 150 are tightened rmly so that the sliding clamps137,

by their independent action, grip the piling snugly even` though thepiling is slightly eccentric to the lower tube 12.

The shoring device is for use in keeping the buoyant member 10 fromrising of its own accord either by action of storm waves or due toconsumption of supplies within the barge.

It will be noted that the buoyant member 10 is kept from sinking beyonda predetermined point by the interlocking of rings 162 and 163 fastenedto the top of the lower tube 12 and near the bottom of the upper tube 11respectively. These rings have a wedging action which centers the tubes,take up play between the tubes, and thereby adds to the rigidity of theentire structure. The upper tube 11 is also provided with anotherreinforcing ring 164 around the bottom of the tube.

- In-Figs. 8, 9 and 10, we have shown a modified form oflifting cap 165we may use. This lifting cap has a tubular lower portion 166 which isreinforced at its lower end by means of a ring 167. The upper end ofthis lifting cap is provided with cross beams 168 which extend throughthe tubular portion 166, having top and bottom cover plates 169 and 170respectively. The top cover plate 169 has a lifting lug 171 mountedthereon formed with an eye 172 for receiving means for lifting the cap.The cross beams 168 have their ends extending laterally beyond the sidesof the piling and are provided with holes 173 to register with thespaced holes 174 in T-shaped lifting bars 175, for receiving pins 176which are similar to the lifting bars 92 and connections, abovedescribed. The lower tubular portion 166 which is reinforced at itslower end by means of the ring 167 is adapted to be seated in the upperend of the retractable piling section 32 to engage a driving ring 177having an inclined inner surface 178. This lifting cap 165 is furtherprovided with a pair of latches 179 adapted to engage the driving ring177 and flat bai springs 180 for normally holding the latches in thelatched position. The

at bar springs 180 areeachprovided at an intermediatel point with an ear181 extending outwardly between a pair of hinge lugs 182 and pivotedthereto by means of a hingle pin 183. The lower portion of each flat barspring extends laterally and is provided at each side edge withvertically extending anges 184 to which is pivoted adjacent to latchesby means of pins 185 the outer ends of a pair of toggle linkages 136,each pair pivoted centrally as at 187 to actuating bars 183 which havetheir upper ends extending above the top cover plate 169 and each formedwith a perforation 159 for attaching means for raising the same torelease the latches 179 from the driving ring 177.

Assuming now that after a period of time it becomes necessary to removethe piling the operations would be as follows: The wedging devices forholding the buoyant member more securely in the submerged position arereleased by pushing the operating rods 150 down to their lowest positionby means of the nuts 156 which actuate the toggle linkages 146 andretract the sliding clamps 137 from the pile. The wedge blocks 79 arethen released from the pile. The buoyant member 10 is now raised afterreleasing plate strut locks 157 by pumping out ballast tanks 14, itsupward movement being controlled by releasing the pressure in hydraulicrams 17, until the telescopic members 11 and 12 are closed. This willcause the weight of the superstructure to be supported by the telescopictubes, the iiuid pressure in the transfer cylinder varying with waveaction. When the buoyant member has developed sufficient buoyancy tosupport all the weight, the valves connecting the upper and lowerportions of cylinder 94 are opened allowing the superstructure to movevertically with wave motion. Lifting cap 109 and T-shaped lifting bars92 are then removed, freeing the superstructure from the piles. Theoperating rod 51 is then pulled upward at the top of the string ofpiling thereby actuating the toggle linkage 42 and releasing the latches41 from the driving rings 30 in the expendable piling section 27 therebydetaching the retractable piling sections. The operating rod 51 shouldextend up to a point adjacent to the lifting cap 109. After the liftingcap hasbeen removed if the end of the operating rod 51 is not highenough to be easily gripped, an additional short length of rod 51 may beadded. The hooks of a crane are then attached in the holes 73 in the topsection of the retractable piling and the crane assisted by the buoyancyof the retractable piling sections raises the string of retractablepiling sections 32 high enough to remove the first section. The wedgeblocks 79 should then engage the next section while the top section isbeing removed. This is accomplished by removing the flush plugs 55 andusing a pair of wrenches 56 as shown in Fig. 22 for detaching thelatches from the driving rings 33. The crane can then remove thissection. The remaining retractable piling section can then be removed ina similar manner.

It will be understood that this description applies to the removal ofthe retractable piling sections 32 for one pile but the same operationswill apply to all the piles.

The barge will then be in the position shown in Fig. l ready to betransported to another location.

Although we have shown and described our invention in considerabledetail, we do not wish to be limited to the exact construction shown anddescribed, but may use such substitutions, modifications or equivalentsthereof, as are embraced within the scope of our invention, or aspointed out in the claims.

We claim:

1. A marine structure comprising a buoyant member', a framework mountedon said buoyant member, a platform surmounting said framework, firstpile guides mounted on said buoyant member, second pile guides mountedon said platform in vertical alignment with said first pile guides,`said buoyant member and said first pile guides being in verticallyseparable relationship with said platform and said second pile guides,piles extending through said first and second pile guides and engaging amarine oor, means to secure the platform to the piles, submerging meansto submerge said buoyant member, and clamping means associated with saidfirst pile guides adjustable to and from said piles to restrict relativemovement between said piles and said first pile guides.

2. A marine structure as in claim 1, said submerging means including rammeans operatively interposed between said platform and said buoyantmember.

3. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support means tobuoyantly support said operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, a pile extending through said platform and supportmeans and in engageable relationship with the marine floor, said supportmeans and said operating platform being in vertically separablerelationship with each other, gripping means to frictionally engage saidoperating platform with said pile, submerging means to submerge saidsupport means below water level, and clamping means to restrict relativemovement between said pile and said support means, said gripping meanscomprising a yoke, a friction member arranged adjacent said pile, andmeans to move said yoke to force said friction member into frictionalengagement with said pile.

4. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support means tobuoyantly support said operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, a pile extending through said platform and supportmeans and in engageable relationship with the marine floor, said supportmeans and said operating platform being in vertically separablerelationship with each other, gripping means t'o frictionally engagesaid operating platform with said pile, submerging means to submergesaid support means below water level, and clamping means to restrictrelative movement between said pile and said support means, saidgripping means comprising an annular yoke arranged concentrically tosaid pile, the annulus of said yoke being at least partially conical,and a plurality of tapered friction members arranged about the perimeterof said pile and held by said yoke in frictional engagement with saidpile.

5. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support means tobuoyantly support said operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, said support means and said operating platform beingin vertically separable relationship, a pile in engageable relationshipwith the marine floor, gripping means to frictionally engage saidoperating platform with said pile, and submerging means to submerge saidsupport means below water level, said gripping means comprising anannular yoke arranged concentrically to said pile, the annulus of saidyoke being at least partially conical, a plurality of tapered frictionmembers arranged about tre perimeter of said pile in engageable relationwith the conical annulus of said yoke and frictionally engageable withsaid pile, and means to move said yoke relative to said operatingplatform to force said tapered friction members into frictionalengagement with said pile.

6. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support means tobuoyantly support said operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, a pile extending through said platform and supportmeans and in engageable relationship with the marine floor, said supportmeans and said operating platform being in vertically separablerelationship with each other, gripping means to frictionally engage saidoperating platform with said pile, submerging means to submerge saidsupport means below water level, and clamping means to restrict relativemovement between said pile and said support means, said gripping meanscomprising an annular yoke arranged concentrically to said pile, aplurality of tapered friction members arranged about the perimeter ofsaid pile and frictionally engageable with said pile, a conical memberarranged concentrically to said pile, and means to move said yokerelative to gsail operatingplatform to force said taperedfrictionmembers betweensaid conical membeland `said pile, thereby placing `saidtapered friction members into frictional engagement with said pile.

. 7. A marine structurecomprising an operating platform, support meansto buoyantly support said'operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, a pile extending through said platform and supportmeans and in engageable relationshipwith the marine floor, said supportmeans and said operating platform being in vertically separablerelationship with each other, gripping means to frictionally ,engagesaidoperating platform with said pile, submerging means to submerge saidsupport means `below water level, and clamping means to restrictrelative movement between said pile and said support means, saidgripping means comprising a yoke adjacent said pile, a `plurality'ofmembers arranged about the perimeter of said pile and forceable intoengagement with said pile through movement of said yoke, and means tomove said yoke.

8. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support meanstoabuoyantly support said operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, a pile extending through said platform and supportmeans and in engageable relationship with the marine oor, said supportmeans `and said operating platform being in vertically separablerelationship with each other', gripping means to frictionally` engagesaid operating platform with said pile, submerging means to submergesaid support means below water level, and clamping means to restrictrelative movement between `said pile and saidl support means, saidgrippingV means comprising an annular yoke arranged concentrically tosaid pile, a pluralityof members arranged about the perimeter of saidpile and forceable into engagement with said pile through verticalmovement of said yoke, and means to raise and lower said yoke.

9. A marine structure comprising an'operating platform and a hull `invertically variable relationship, a pluralityof rst pile guides mountedto said hulland forming vertically unobstructed openings therethrough, aplurality of second pile guides mounted to said operating platform andforming vertically unobstructed openings therethrough',]each`l of saidfirst pile guides being in registering relationship with one of saidsecond pile guides, aplurality of piles in engageable relationship withthe marine fioor, each of said piles being positioned in one of saidfirst and second pile guides, a plurality of gripping means tofrictionally engagesaid operating platformto said piles, each of saidgripping means being associated `with one of said piles, submergingmeans to submerge Asaid hull below water level, and a plurality ofclamping means adjacentsaid rst pile guides, each of said-clamping meansbeing associated with' one of said piles .to restrict relative movementbetween said pile and said hulll.

10. A marine structure as in claim 9, each of said grippingv meanscomprisingan annular yoke -arranged concentrically to a pile, aplurality of members arranged about thecircumference of said pile andforceable into engagement with said pilethrough vertical movement ofsaid yoke, and means Ato raise and lower said yoke. l 1. A. marine`structure as in claim` 9, each of said gripping means, comprisingwedges around said pile, means to maintainsaid wedges in spaced relationaround said pile when said'wedges are frictionally engaged or disengagedwith respect to said pile, a yoke adjacent said `pile .to back up saidwedges in frictional engagement with said pile, and means operativelyinterposed between said yokeand said platform to vary the spacingbetween said yoke and said platform.`

12. A-,marine structure as in claim 9, each of said gripping meanscomprising members around said pile and frictionally engagedorselectively frictionally disengaged with respect to saidpile,.`a yokeadjacent said pile,` a

sloping surface in cooperating relation with Asaid yoke to hold saidmembers in frictional engagement with said pile, means to maintain saidmembers in spaced relation about said pile when said members arefrictionally engaged or disengaged with respect to said pile, and meansoperatively interposed between said yoke and said platform to vary thespacingbetween said yoke and said platform.

13. Al marine structure as in claim 9, each of said gripping meanscomprising wedges, a yoke adjacent said pile, means to hold said wedgesin spaced relation about said pile, said means and said yoke being inrelative movable relation, and further means operatively interposedbetweensaid yoke and said platform to vary the spacing betweensaid yokeand said platform.

`14. A marine structure as in claim 9, each of said gripping meanscomprising wedges around said pile and frictionally engaged orselectively disengaged with respect to said pile, a yoke to back up saidwedges in frictional engagement with said pile, means to maintain saidwedges in horizontal spaced relation about said pile, said means andsaid yoke being in relative vertical movable relation, and further meansoperatively interposed betweensaid yoke and said platform to vary thespacing between said yoke and Vsaid platform.

Vl5. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of water,comprising a superstructure having upper and lower decks for supportingdrilling equipment, a buoyant member for supporting the weight of thesuperstructure during the transportation of the barge from one localityto another, tubular piling guide members having their lower portionsrigidly secured to the buoyant member andV extending` upwardlytherefrom, tubular piling guide members having their upper portionsrigidly secured to the superstructure and extending downwardly therefromin telescopicrelation with the upwardly extending tubular piling -guidemembers of the buoyant member, piles mounted in the tubular telescopicguides having their lower ends driven into the bed of the body of water,means Afor lowering and raising the buoyant member in relation to thesuperstructure, means operated by fluid pressure for gripping the pilesand transferring the weight ofthe superstructure from the buoyant memberto the piles, a recess in the buoyant member adjacent to the lower endof each lower tube, a plurality of clamps mounted for sliding movementmounted in each recess for clamping the buoyant member to the piles inthe submerged position, and means for retracting the clamps from 'thepiles.

16. A barge, comprising a buoyant member supported in a body of water, asuperstructure mounted above the body of water and supported by thebuoyant member in spaced relation thereto, upper and lower tubularpiling guide members in telescopic relation with each other connectingthe buoyant member with the superstructure, piles mounted in the tubulartelescopic guide members and having their lower ends 'driven into thebed of the body of water, fluid pressure means for submerging thebuoyant member, interlocking wedging rings on the upper and lowertubular piling guide members for centering saidv upper and lower tubularpiling guide members and for limiting the `sinking of the buoyantmember, means mounted on the superstructure and operated by Huidpressure for transferring the weight o f the superstructure from thebuoyant member to the piles', and means attached near the lower ends ofcertain of the lower tubular piling guide members for securing thebuoyant member to the piles in the submerged position.

17. A barge for drilling oil wells or the like located under a body ofwater, comprising a superstructure havinga deck for drilling equipment,a buoyant member for supporting the weight of superstructure during thetransportation of theV barge from one drilling location to another andfor temporarily supporting the superstructure at the drilling location,a plurality of tubular members having their lower portions rigidlysecured to the buoyant member and extending upwardly therefrom, aplurality of tubular members having their upper portions rigidly securedto the superstructure and extending above the same a short distance andtheir lower ends extending downwardly therefrom in telescopic relationwith each of the upwardly extending tubular members of the buoyantmember, a pile mounted in each of the telescopic tubular members andhaving its lower end driven into the bed of the body of water, aplurality of rams connecting the superstructure with the buoyant member,fluid pressure means for actuating the rams to submerge or raise thebuoyant member in relation to the superstructure, a recess in the lowerportion of the buoyant member adjacent to the lower end of each lowertube, a plurality of clamps mounted for sliding movement in each recessadapted to secure the buoyant member to the piles in the submergedposition, shoring devices connecting the upper and lower tubes,interlocking wedging rings on the upper and lower tubular piling guidemembers for centering said guide members and for limiting the sinking ofthe buoyant member, and means mounted on the superstructure and operatedby duid pressure for transferring the weight of the superstructure fromthe buoyant member to thepiles.

18. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of water,comprising a superstructure having a deck for supporting drillingequipment, a buoyant member supported in said body of water forsupporting the weight of the superstructure during the transportation ofthe barge from one drilling location to another and for temporarilysupporting the superstructure at the drilling location, lower tubularpiling guide members having their lower portions rigidly secured to thebuoyant member and extending upwardly therefrom, upper tubular pilingguide members having their upper portions rigidly secured to thesuperstructure and extending downwardly therefrom in sliding telescopicrelation with each of the upwardly extending tubular piling guides ofthe buoyant member, a pile formed in sections mounted in each telescopicmember having its lower end driven into the bed of the body of water,latches for connecting the pile sections together, friction means forholding the piling sections while additional sections are placed inposition, and means for releasing the friction means from the piles.

19. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of watercomprising a superstructure having a deck for supporting drillingequipment, a buoyant member supported in said body of water forsupporting the weight of the superstructure during the transportation ofthe barge from one drilling location to another and for temporarilysupporting the superstructure at the drilling location, lower tubularpiling guide members having their lower portions rigidly secured to thebuoyant member and extending upwardly therefrom, upper tubular pilingguide members having their upper portions rigidly secured to thesuperstructure and extending downwardly therefrom in sliding telescopicrelation with each of the upwardly extending tubular piling guides ofthe buoyant member, interlocking wedging rings on the upper and lowertubular piling guide members, a pile formed in sections mounted in eachtelescopic member and having its lower end driven into the bed of thebody of water, latches for connecting the pile sections together, aplurality of friction blocks mounted adjacent to the upper end of eachupper tubular piling guide member, a yoke mounted above the frictionblocks, and uid pressure means mounted below said friction blocks andoperatively connected to the yoke to lower said yoke to throw thefriction blocks into clamping engagement with the piles for holding thepiling sections while additional sections are placed in position and forraising the yoke to release the friction blocks from the piles.

20. VA barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of water,comprising a buoyant member supported in said body of water, asuperstructure having a `deck with drilling equipment thereon mountedabove the body of waterand temporarily supported by the buoyant memberAin spaced relation thereto, a plurality f uppervand lower tubulartelescopic members connectingthe superstructurey with the buoyant memberand adapted to formguides for piles formed in sections mounted therein,a` pile mounted in each tubular telescopic member, said piles havingtheir lower ends driven Vinto thebed ofthe body.y of water, latches forconnectingthepile s ectionsftogether, a plurality of friction blocks'mounted adjacent to the upper end of each upper tubular piling guidemember, a yoke mounted above the `friction blocks, and fluid pres-v suremeans mounted below said friction blocks 'and operatively connected tothe yoke to lower said yokeY to throw the friction blocks intoclampingengagement with"the piles for holding a stringof-piling'sectionsfpendantwhile additional sections are placedinhpositionand for raising the yoke to release the friction blockssimultaneously from the piles. 'v i 21. A barge for drilling oilA wellslocated under a body of water, comprising a superstructure havinga deck'for supporting drilling equipment, a buoyant vmember sup: ported insaid body oflwatei'y for supporting'the weight of the superstructureAduring the 'transportation' of the bargefrom'one drillingn location toanother and for'tern'- porarily supporting thesuperstructure at'thedrilling location, .lower tubular vpiling yguide `members having" theirlower portions rigidly secured to the buoyant member and extendingupwardly therefrom, upper ltubular piling guide members having theirupper portions' rigidly secured to the superstructure and extendingdownwardly therefrom in sliding telescopic relation with each of theupwardly extending tubular piling guides of thjevbuoyant member, a pilemounted in each pair of telescopic members hav-y ing its lower enddriven into `the bed of the body of water, means for submerging thebuoyant member, a recess formed in the buoyant member adjacent to thebottom en d of each of the lower piling guide members, a pluralv ity ofsliding clamps mounted for individual adjustment for clamping thebuoyant member to the piles, plate struts hinged to the top of the lowertubular piling guide members for engaging pads on the upper tubularpiling guide members for holding the buoyant member in thesubmergedposition from rising, and retaining means for holding the struts incontact with the pads.

22. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of water,comprising a buoyant member supported in said body of water, asuperstructure having a deck with drilling equipment thereon mountedabove the body of water, and temporarily supported by the buoyant memberin spaced relation thereto, a plurality of upper and lower tubularltelescopic members connecting the superstructure with the buoyant memberand constituting guides for piles mounted therein, a pile mounted ineach tubular telescopic member, said piles being formed in sections,latches connecting the sections together, means for buil,d ing up aplurality of strings of piling in the tubular telescopic piling guidemembers, acrane for lowering the piling sections in each of the tubulartelescopic piling guides, friction blocks mounted adjacent to the topend of each upper tubular telescopic piling guide member, a yoke mountedabove the friction blocks actuated vby fluid pressure to press thefriction blocks against the pile as each section of the pile section isset and to release the friction blocks from the pile for the crane tolower the pile after each pile section is attached thereto', and meansfor simultaneously releasing the pluralityof strings of piling. a

23. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of water,comprising a buoyantfrnernber adapted to be supported in said body ofwater, a superstructure having an upper and lower deck having drillingleqllip'rnent thereon mounted above the body of water and supported bythe buoyant member in spaced relation theretof pluralityA of tubulartelescopic' members connecting the buoyant member with thesuperstructure adapted to fir 17 piling guides,;apile"form`ed insectionsK mounted vin each of the telescopic tubular piling guidemembers, latches for connecting the piling sections together, frictionmeans for holding a stringof piling sections pendant in the tubularvpiling guide members while additional piling sections are placed inposition, means for releasing and lowering the piles after eachadditional pile section is placed in position,.and means for releasingthe piles simultaneously. i j

f 24. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of water,comprising a buoyant member adapted to be suported in said body `ofwater, a superstructure having a deck withrdrilling equipment thereonmounted above the body of water` and temporarily supported by thebuoyant member in spaced relation thereto, a plurality of upper andlower tubular telescopic members connecting the superstructure with thebuoyant member and adapted to form guides for piles mounted therein, apile mounted in each tubular telescopic member, said piles being adaptedto have their lower ends driven into the bed of the body of Water, adriving ring in each pile near its upper end, a lifting cap having altubular portion mounted in the upper end of each pile, a pair of flatbar springs each havingone end secured to the tubular portion-of thelifting cap, latches formed on the other end of` each flat bar springadapted to engage the driving ring in the pile for securing the liftingcap to the pile, a toggle linkage connecting the latches, a verticallymovable rod having itslower end pivoted to the central portion of thetogglelinkage adapted to be raised to release the latches from thedriving ring in the piles for detachingthe lifting cap, a yoke mountedfor vertical movement adjacent tothe top of each of the uppertelescopic.

tubes, frictionblocks actuated by the yoke for gripping and releasingthe piles, llifting bars connecting the lifting cap and yoke together, apair of transfer cylinders rigidly secured to the upper end portion of`each upper telescopic tube, a piston working in each transfer cylinder,a piston rod for each piston having its outer end pivotally connected tothe yoke, and fluid pressure means for re-v ciprocating the pistons andto transfer the weight of the superstructure from the buoyant member tothe piles.

25. A barge for drilling oil wells located under` a body of watercomprisinga superstructure having a deck for supporting drillingequipment, a `buoyant member for supporting the weight ofthesuperstructure during the transportation of the barge from one drillinglocation to another, and for temporarily supporting the superstructureat the drilling location, a plurality of lower tubularmembers havingtheir lower portions rigidly secured to the buoyant member and extendingupwardly therefrom, a plurality of upper tubular membersV having theirupper` portions rigidly secured to the superstructure and their lowerends extending downwardly therefrom in telescopic relation with each ofthe upwardly extending tubular members of the buoyant member, a pileformed in sections mounted in each of the tubular telescopic members, anexpendable piling section secured to the lower end of each pile adaptedto be driven into the ground to substantially its full length to form asupport for the pile, a plurality of retractable pile lsections mountedon the expendable pile section, latches for connecting the pilesectionstogether, a yoke actuated by uid pressure mounted for vertical movementadjacent to the top end of each of the uppertubular members, frictionblocks engaged by the yoke for holding each pile while addtional pilesections are placed in position, means for supporting and lowering thepile after each additional pileksection is placed in position and meansactuated by fluid pressure for releasing the piles simultaneously.

26. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of water,comprising a buoyant member adapted to be supported in said body ofwater, a superstructure having a deck, with drilling equipment mountedthereon disposedabove thebody of water and temporarily supported bythebuoyant member in spaced relation thereto, a plurality of pairs oftubular telescopic members each pair forming a piling guide connectingthe buoyant member with the superstructure, a tubular pile mounted ineach of-the tubular telescopic members adapted to have their lower` endsdriven into `the bed of the body of water, a driving `ring in each pilenear its upper end, a lifting cap having a tubular portion mounted inthe upper end of each pile, a `pair of flat bar springs each having oneend securcdto the tubular portion of the lifting cap having latches atltheir lower ends adapted to engage the driving ring in the `pile forsecuring the lifting cap to the pile, la toggle linkage connecting thelatches, a piston rod having its lower end pivoted to the centralportion of the'toggle linkage, a piston on the upper end 0f the pistonrod working a cylinder, fluid pressure for reciprocating the piston torelease the latches from the drivingring-` in the upper end of the pile,a yoke mounted for vertical movement adjacent to the top of each of theupper telescopic members, friction blocks actuated by the yoke forgripping and releasing the piles, lifting bars connecting the liftingcap and yoke together, and fluid pressure `actuated means pivotallyconnected to the yoke adapted to transfer the weight of thesuperstructure from the buoyant member to the piles.

27. A barge for drilling oil wells located under a body of water,comprising a buoyant member adapted to be supported in said body ofwater, a superstructure having a deck for supporting drilling equipmentthereon mounted above the said body of Water and supported by thebuoyant member in spaced relation thereto, lower tubular piling guidemembers rigidly secured to the buoyant member and extending upwardlytherefrom, tubular piling guide members rigidly secured to thesuperstructure and extending downwardly therefrom and in telescopicrelation with the tubular piling guide members extending upwardly fromAthe buoyant member, piles mounted in the tubular telescopic guidesadaptedto have their lower ends driven into the bed of the body ofwater, fluid pressure means for submerging the buoyant member below 4thesurface of thebody of water, means for transferring linkage' and meansfor vertically adjusting the operating rods individually to throw thesliding clamps into or out of Vengagement with the piles.

28. In` a Vmarine structure comprising a platform mounted over invertically variable relation to a buoyant support, and a pile extendingthrough said platform in engageablerelation with amarine iioor, thecombination comprising wedges frictionally engaged or selectivelydisengaged with respect to said pile, a yoke adjacent said pile to backup said wedges in frictional engagement with said pile, means toholdsaid wedges in spaced relation aboutsaid pile when said wedges arefric.ionally engaged or selectively `frictionally disengaged from saidpile, said means and said yoke being in relative movable relation, andfurther means operatively interposed between said yoke and said platformto vary the spacing between said yoke and said platform.

29. In a marine structure comprising a platform mounted over invertically variable relation to a buoyant support, and a pile extendingthrough said platform in engageable relation with a marine floor, thecombination comprising wedges frictionally engaged with or selec-Jtively disengaged from said wedges, means to maintain said wedges inhorizontal spaced relation about said'pile when'` said wedges arefrictionally engaged or selectively frictionally disengaged from saidpile, said means and said' yoke being in relative vertical movablerelation, and further means operatively interposed between said yoke andsaid platform to vary the spacing therebetween.

30. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support meansto buoyantly support said operating platform at al substantial distanceabove water level, said operating platform and said support means beingin ver'- tically variable relationship, a pile extending throughsaidplatforrn and support means and in-engageable relationship with themarine floor, gripping means to fric'- tionally engage said operatingplatform with said pile, submerging means to submerge'said' supportmeans below water level, and clamping means to restrct relative movementbetween said pile and said supportv means.

3l. A marine structure as in claim 30, said submerging means includingram means operatively intepos:d between said operating platform and saidsupport means.

32; A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support meansto buoyantly support said operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, said operating platform and said support means beingin vertically variable relationship, a pile extending through saidplatform and support means and engaging the marine floor, gripping meansto frictionally engage said operating platform with said pile, saidgripping means comprising a yoke adjacent said pile, a memberadjace'ntthe perimeter of said pile and forceable into engagement with said pilethrough movement of said yoke, and means to move said yoke, said marinestructure further incuding submerging means to submerge said suportmeans below water level, and clamping means associated u ith saidsupport means to restrict relative movement between said support meansand pile.

33. A marine structure comprising an operating platform and a hull invertically variable relat'onship, a plurality of tirst pile guidesmounted to said hull and forming vertically unobstructed openingstherethrough, a plurality of second pile guides mounted to saidoperating platform and forming vertically unobstructed openingstherethrough, each of said first pile guides being in registeringrelationship with one Vof said second pile guides, a plurality of pilesin engageable relationsh'p with the marine floor, each of said pilesbeingpositicned in one of said first and second pile guides, a pluraliyi gripping means to frictionally engage said operating platform to saidpiles, each of said gripping means being associated with one of saidpiles, and submerging means to submerge said hull below water level,said submerging means comprisingy means to push said hull relative tosaid operating platform.

34. A marine structure as in claim 33, said marine structure furtherincluding a plurality of clamping means adjacent said first pile guides,each of said clamping means being associated with one of said piles torestrict relative movement between said pile and hull.

35. A marine structure comprising an operating platformand a hull invertically variable relationship, a plurality of first pile guidesmounted to said hull and forming vertically unobstructed openingstherethrough, a plurality of second pile guides mounted to saidoperating platform and forming vertically unobstructed openingstherethrough, each of said first pile guides being in registeringrelationship with one of said second pile guides, a plurality of pilesin engageable relationship wih the marine floor, each of said pilesbeing positioned in one of said first and second pile guides, aplurality ofgripping means to frictionally engage said operatingplatform to said piles, each of said gripping means being associatedwith one of said piles, and submerging means to submerge said hull belowwater level, said submerging means comprising tirstmeans to push saidhull down- 20 wardly relative to said operating platform, and secondmeans to ballast said hull. ,v

36'. A marine structure asin claim 35, said marine structure furtherincluding a' plurality of clamping means adjacent said first pileguides, each of said clamping means being associated with one ofsaid'piles to restrict relative movement between said pile and hull.

37. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support meansto buoyantly support said operating platform at al substantial distanceabove water level, a pile extending through said platform andsupport'means and in engageable relationship with the marine floor,gripping means to frictionally engage said operating platform'with saidpile, submerging means to submerge said support means below water level,and clamping means to restrict relative movement between said pile andsaid support means, said gripping means comprising wedges around saidpile, means to maintain said wedges in spaced relation around said pilewhen said wedges are frictionally engaged or disengaged with respect tosaid pile, a yoke adjacent said pile to back up said wedges infrictional engagement with said pile, and means operatively interposedbetween said yoke and said platform to vary the spacing between saidyoke and said platform.

38. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support meansto buoyantly support said operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, a pile extending through said platform and supportmeans and in engageable relationship with the marine floor, grippingmeans to frictionally engage said operating platform with said pile,submerging means to submerge said support means below water level, andclamping means to restrict relative movement between said pile and saidsupport means, said gripping means comprising members around said pileand frictionally engaged or selectively frictionally disengaged withrespect to said pile, a yoke adjacent said pile, a sloping surface incooperating relation with said yoke to hold said members in frictionalengagement with said pile, means to main'ain said members in spacedrelation about said pile when said members are frictionally engaged ordisengaged with respect to said pile, and means operatively interposedbetween said yoke and said platform to vary the spacing between' saidyoke and said platform.

39. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support meansto buoyantly support'said operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, a pile extending through said platform and supportmens and in engageable relationship with the marine' Hoor, grippingmeans to frictionally engage said operating platform with said pile,submerging means to submerge said support means below water level, andclamping means to' restrict'relative movement between said pile and saidsupport means, said gripping means comprising wedges, av yoke adjacentsaid pile, means to hold said wedgesin spacedV relation about said pile,said means and said yoke being in relative movable relation, and furthermeans operatively interposed between said yoke and said platform to varythe spacing between said yoke and said platform.

40. A marine structure comprising an operating platform, support meansto buoyantly support said operating platform at a substantial distanceabove water level, a pile extending through said platform and supportmeans and in engageable relationship with the marine floor, grippingmeans to frictionally engage said operating platform with saidpile,submerging means to submerge said support means below water level, andclamping means to restrict relative movement between said pile and saidsupport means, said gripping means comprising wedges around said pileand frictionally engaged or selectively disengaged with respect to saidpile, `a yoke to back up said wedges in frictional engagement with saidpile, means to maintain said wedges in horizontal spaced relation aboutsaid pile, said means and said yoke being in rela-

